Good morning to everyone but especially to...
THE DALLAS COWBOYS
All he does is win, win, win no matter what. Cooper Rush is a perfect 3-0 as a starter -- including 2-0 this season -- after the Cowboys beat the Giants 23-16 last night on the back of Rush's steady play, a strong rushing attack and a terrific defensive effort.
Rush, starting for the injured Dak Prescott for the second straight week, threw for 215 yards and a go-ahead touchdown to CeeDee Lamb. Rush did not take a sack or have a turnover.Lamb more than made up for a brutal first-half drop with a magnificent one-handed catch to put Dallas up 20-13. He finished with eight catches for 87 yards and the score.Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott combined for 178 rushing yards, with Elliott scoring his first touchdown of the season.While the offense has stayed afloat during Prescott's absence (he could be back in Week 4), the defense has stepped up in a major way. Dallas had five sacks (three by Demarcus Lawrence) and have had five-plus sacks in consecutive games for the first time since 2008. Trevon Diggs -- who led the NFL with 11 interceptions last year -- had his first of the season to clinch the victory.
It wasn't pretty. Far from it, in fact. The Cowboys will, eventually, need more from their offense. But until then, their outstanding defense and Rush's ability to manage games have proved twice they can get the job done.
Honorable mentions
And not such a good morning for...
USATSITHE NEW YORK GIANTS
The Giants' opportunity to start 3-0 for the first time since 2009 was there for the taking: at home, against a backup quarterback. This was when the Giants would show their two wins were legit. This was when Daniel Jones would get the prime-time monkey off his back. This was... none of that. Instead, the Giants' issues were on full display.
Jones was constantly running for his life behind an offensive line the team just can't seem to fix despite taking first-round tackles in two of the last three drafts. As for wide receivers, even before Shepard's injury, 2021 first-rounder Kadarius Toney and 2022 second-rounder Wan'Dale Robinson were inactive, and Kenny Golladay -- who publicly complained about his playing time last week -- did not have a catch (he did have a drop though).
A solid defense and the spectacular plays of Saquon Barkley can only carry a team so far. The Giants found that out Monday.
MLB Power Rankings: Another contender in the AL? ⚾
The Guardians clinched the AL Central over the weekend, and while it might not have been the hardest division, Cleveland won it in the most impressive of fashions, notes MLB expert Matt Snyder.
Snyder: "Holy smokes. For the overwhelming majority of the season, it looked like the woeful AL Central would be a race to something like 84 wins. On Sept. 3, the Guardians and Twins were tied for first at 68-64 with the White Sox sitting at .500 and only two games back. Since then, the Guardians have gone a sizzling 18-3. Eighteen and three! They should breeze past 90 wins now and are actually a threat to make a run in the playoffs. Kudos to them."That has vaulted them to eighth in Matt's latest MLB Power Rankings. Here's the top five:
1. Dodgers (prev: 1)2. Astros (prev: 2)3. Mets (prev: 4)4. Braves (prev: 3)5. Yankees (prev: 5)The Rays, meanwhile, tied for the largest fall, have gone from eighth to 10th while right in the middle of the Wild Card race. And things don't get any easier, Matt notes.
Snyder: "They've gone 6-11 in their last 17 games and now have to finish with a very difficult road trip. They'll play three in Cleveland, three in Houston and then three in Boston before maybe having to hit the road for the wild-card round."
